//------------------------------//
// Part 10: "How does that make you feel, huh? You're being outpaced by a cripple." 
// Story: The Death of Daring Do: The Engine of Eternity 
// by DuncanR 
//------------------------------//

Twelve hours later, the jungle was plunged into utter darkness. Rainbow Dash and Derring-Do took shelter under the roots of yet another giant tree and lit the damaged oil lantern to provide a tiny glow. They worked together to cover the entrances with vines and branches, and finally settled back to rest.
Dash rolled on her side and grumbled. "...Feels like my tummy is turning inside out."
"Hardtack?"
Dash turned over and looked at Derring. She was holding a big, square biscuit towards her. It looked almost exactly like a giant salt-cracker.
"You had food on you, all this time?"
"I was waiting for you to lose your cool," she said. "Thought it might give you a stronger appreciation for careful rationing... but it looks like you're holding together pretty well."
Dash swiped the biscuit and took a bite, but winced and pulled back. "Ugh... it's hard as a rock! It tastes like one, too!"
"Just break off a corner and let it soak in your mouth for awhile."
She did so, and passed the rest back. "You've had this before? Actually eaten it on purpose?"
"Sure did. Pilot's bread lasts forever and it's cheap as dirt, so it was all we could afford back in the day… I can still remember the whole team huddled around a campfire, eating beans straight out of a beat-up tin can." She leaned her head back against the dirt. "It didn't matter if we were in the middle of a desert, or at the edge of a waterfall, or what... we always had the same chunk of cardboard to chew on."
Dash stuck the the piece of biscuit in her mouth and started chewing. "I guess it's not so bad."
"It's awful," Derring said fondly. "I used to spend every night staring at the stars, dreaming of a cup of coffee and a warm, cinnamon bagel... toasted, with butter melted all over it..."
Derring closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath.
Rainbow Dash laid down on her belly, carefully arranging her injured wings. "You want me to wake you up early?"
Derring snickered.
"What? You think I can't wake up early when I have to?"
"I'm sure you can," she said, "but we won't need a wakeup call. Not here."
"What's that mean?" Dash looked up at her, but she'd already pulled her helmet down over her face. Dash curled up on the ground and closed her eyes.
 



 
Rainbow Dash wriggled back and forth uncomfortably, shaking her head and flicking her tail. There was an itchy, fluttering sensation all over her that made it impossible to sit still. She tried to cover her head with her wing, but yelped in pain as she stretched the injured limb. She opened her eyes and let out a horrified scream: the inside of their makeshift shelter was filled with a swarm of buzzing, biting insects. She shot to her feet and thrashed about, but the swarm was much too dense to disperse. She scrambled to lift her goggles into place.
"Get away! Go on, shoo! Aaaaaugh!"
As soon as she opened her mouth to yell, the swarm filled her mouth and nostrils. She sputtered and spat them out, and finally charged out of the shelter screaming at the top of her lungs. She stared in horror as she saw the swarm outside, whirling over the jungle floor like a black dust storm. They filled the air as far as the eye could see: mosquitoes, gnats and blackflies. The roaring of a billion tiny wings was almost as loud as the tilt-rotor's engine had been. Dash spent the next three minutes stampeding in little circles and figure eights, screaming at the top of her lungs and slapping herself furiously.
The swarm dispersed, suddenly and without warning, as if somepony had flipped off a light switch. Rainbow Dash stood perfectly still, eyes darting about. She finally collapsed on the ground exhausted and gasped for breath, not daring to scratch at the countless tiny red bumps all over her body.
She wasn't sure how long she lay there, but an approaching voice caught her ear... she could have sworn it sounded like Derring-Do, except she was singing a jaunty tune:

“It was blackfly, blackfly, everywhere,
A-crawlin' in your whiskers, a-crawlin' in your hair
Swimmin' in the soup, swimmin' in the tea,
The devil take the black fly, leave me be!
Oh the blackflies, the little blackflies,
Always the blackfly no matter-where-ya-go;
I'll die with the blackfly a-pickin' my bones,
In North Onmare-aye-oh-aye-oh, in North Onmare-aye-ohhh...”

Derring-Do walked over the top of the nearest little hill, nodding her head side to side as she sang. She was covered in dried mud from head to hoof—though her jacket and helmet were both clean—and every step she took shook a small cloud of dust off her coat. She stopped when she caught sight of Rainbow Dash lying on her back in a daze. She lifted her goggles up: the only part of her left unstung were a pair of circles over her eyes.
"You're up awfully early," Derring said. "Are your wings feeling any better?"
"That," Rainbow Dash moaned, "was the grossest thing that's happened to me in my entire life."
"I found a good clean mud-hole not far from here. Might want to take a dip before the itching sets in." She held up a loose paper bag filled with crickets hopping and bouncing around. "Unless you'd rather have breakfast first, of course."
She stared at the bag for a moment. "...I take it back."
Derring-Do shrugged. "If you don't have the stomach for it, you can always have some more of the hardtack."
She leaned her head back against the loamy, mossy ground and let out a frustrated groan.
 
 
 
For six hours they continued to march west. They were both covered with a light dusting of dried mud, and Rainbow Dash's enormous collection of bug bites were neither angry nor red. Even so, it took a constant force of will to avoid scratching at them.
"It's like... a mosquito will just take a little sip, right? But those big black flies? Ugh! They take a bite out of ya! I swear, I lost five pounds this morning! You think I have the plague or something now?"
"Probably not from the blackflies," Derring-Do said. "The mudpacks act as a natural bandage that keeps the bite from festering. Nowhere near as good as an ice-pack, but it'll have to do. I just wish we had the first aid kit with us... even some cheap antihistamines would be a lifesaver."
Rainbow Dash pointed at Derring's saddlebags. "You want me to carry those for awhile?"
"I'm fine."
"You're strong," she said, "but that doesn't mean you've got endurance."
Derring tugged at her shoulder strap and shook her head. "You're the one with two broken wings. You need to recover."
"They're just sprains," she said. "We should at least take turns, right?"
"I suppose that's only fair." Derring stopped to undo her bags, and carefully set them on Dash's back. "And I must admit, they were starting to get pretty heavy."
They sat down for a moment.
Dash looked around them. "Everywhere we go, it all looks exactly the same."
"West is west," Derring said. "How are your wings?"
"No better or worse than before," she said. "What about you? have you been thinking about Perez and those ruins?"
"I've been thinking of nothing else... and I think I know what's going on."
"Really?" Dash stood up. "Let's walk and talk. Might help pass the time."
Derring stood up and walked alongside her. "I've been thinking about all those notes I took down while we were exploring the 'Still Waters' site... I don't think it's the only ancient ruin in this area."
"Professor Walski did say she was going to keep looking for more stuff. But what makes you think that?"
"The map we found in the last room included a lot of references I couldn't make sense of at the time... I don't think they were directions to other rooms. They were directions to nearby locations in the mountain range. And besides, that place was built like a laboratory... the sort of place you only visit once in a while. There must have been someplace nearby for ponies to live. A village or a city of some sort."
"A city... Walski was looking for a city, wasn't she?"
"She's spent her entire career searching for the capital city of the Dzunturan... this is her third major expedition to the Kathiawari mountains." Derring rolled her eyes. "I don't think anypony thought of searching the valleys between the mountains... there's hundreds of them, and they all look like glacial wastelands."
Dash frowned. "...She has your notes now."
"Yes. She has my notes now."
"Do you think she'll be able to figure it out herself?"
Derring bit her lower lip.
"So, do you?"
"I'm thinking," Derring said. "I used to think she was the best archeologist of our time. But now... I'm not sure how skilled she really is. For all we know, she could have figured out the truth long before we did. Not to mention, I don't know how useful my notes will be. I certainly didn't mention anything about a jungle valley beneath the mist."
"So we might still have time. If we hurry, and if we're very lucky, we might be able to put a stop to her evil scheme after all."
" 'Evil scheme'? Do you even listen to the words that come out of your mouth?"
"She tried to knock us off so she could keep a powerful ancient artifact all to herself. That sounds like a scheme to me."
"I still think it was the black stallion. Perez had nothing to do with it."
"You think, or you know?"
Derring scowled at her, and continued to walk in silence. After a moment, though, her eyes widened. "The prism..."
Dash paused to look back at her.
"The inscriptions referred to it as a key-stone. It's not the real prize at all... just the key."
"The key to what?"
"The city," Derring muttered. "There must be something in the city that uses the prism as an activator... some kind of machine."
"What kind of machine are we talking about here?"
"You remember the ruins we explored? I don't think that place was a city or a university. It was one giant apparatus, built into the mountain." Derring tugged her helmet down, and her gaze intensified. "Perhaps she intends to use the prism to activate the city itself. I can't even imagine what that might do."
Dash nodded. "Then we know where she's going. All we have to do is get there first."
"One step at a time." Derring-Do stood up and stretched each of her hind legs in turn. "We'd better get moving. It's almost noon."
Rainbow Dash stood up, but wobbled slightly. "Whoa... kinda dizzy."
Derring frowned at her. "Dizzy? What kind of dizzy?"
"I dunno. Hey, do you think you could take a turn carrying the saddlebags?"
"Already? It's only been ten minutes."
Dash stared off into space. "Really?"
"Here, give me those. I'll be fine."
 
 
 
After six hours of hiking, Derring-Do and Rainbow Dash were dripping with sweat and grime. The jungle air simmered with heat and moisture, and their muscles burned with effort. Even with the even, clear terrain, every step they took was leaden.
"Hey," Rainbow Dash called out from behind. "Do you... think you could take a turn... on the bags? gettin' kinda heavy..."
Derring glanced back at her, and paused to let her catch up. "I'm already carrying them."
"You are? Oh."
Derring paused to let her catch up. "Would you hurry up already? You've been lagging behind for the last half hour. I don't like it when ponies slow me down."
"Me!?" Dash frowned at her. "Slowing you down? Sister, you don't know who you're talking to! I'm the fastest pegasus there ever was!"
"You? Fast?" Derring let out a laugh. "More like the slowest. You're like... Rainbow... sleepy-time... dawdle or something. That's all you're good for is dawdling. Wish I had your life, lazy bones... sleeping all day."
Dash's eyes focused slightly. "Hey, I need a lot of naps! I've got a very strict exercise regimen all planned out, and it's better to take a whole lot of short naps in between. I'm a professional and I know what I'm doing."
"A professional? Don't make me laugh!" She turned to the side and lifted her left wing. "I've got one crippled wing, and you can barely keep up with me! How does that make you feel, huh? You're being outpaced by a cripple."
"That's... that's a terrible... thing to say! You're not a cripple at all! How could you be so cruel to yourself?"
Dash finally caught up to her, but wobbled sideways. Derring rushed over and leaned against her, keeping her upright. "Come on, Dash. If this keeps up, I'm just going to have to leave you behind. What do you think of that?"
Dash giggled, and her eyes unfocused. "Naww... you'd never do that. You know what it's like to be trapped, scared, and alone. You act all mean and stuff, but you'd never abandon me like that. You're such a good pal!"
"No! No, I'm not a good pal! I'm bitter and angry and you're slowing me down, and I swear I'll leave you behind if you don't start walking right now!"
Dash took one step forward and fell to the ground. "My head... feels like somepony's beating my head like a drum..."
"Look at me, Dash. Focus. You gotta stay awake, okay? You gotta—" Derring lifted her head and slapped her cheek, hard. "I said look at me! It's just malaria, you big baby. I've had it half a dozen times myself. You'll be fine if you can stay awake."
"Twi always said I had a short attention span... wonder what she's doing right now?"
Derring-Do wedged her good wing under Rainbow Dash’s body and hoisted her up and onto her back. She turned west and continued marching.
Dash let out a little giggle. "Wow... you really don't give up! You're... just like her, after all!"
"I'm nothing at all like her!" Derring shouted. "She's just a faker! Do you hear me? A faker! She's not even a real pony!"
"But she... she's..." Dash's eyes focused a bit. "No, those books are good. They're a good thing. They... they get young ponies... interested in archeology."
"Daring Do's stupid novels are the worst thing that ever happened to archeology, do you hear me? Those books fill pony's heads with all sorts of ridiculous fantasies and misinformation and outright lies! We need ponies who can think critically! Ponies who are smart enough to tell fact from fiction!"
"But it's good for that too! It's... they..."
"You think it's good? Well, why? Tell me why!" She gave Dash a sharp shake. "Tell me!"
"They give ponies a chance... to figure the truth out for themselves. They read a story, and wonder if it's real... and if they really want to know, they go to the library and look at books about history and... and stuff. They ask real questions about the truth. That's critical thinking, isn't it?"
"Is that what you tell yourself? Ha! Those ponies are in for a big disappointment, then... they'll become archeologists, expecting to dodge poison darts and chase after golden idols... and instead, they'll spend their whole lives writing reports and sorting through archives! You're lying to them!"
Dash let out a low moan. "Please... my head..."
"You know what I'm going to do as soon as we get back home? The very first thing I'll do? I'm gonna find out whoever published those stupid, wretched novels, and I'm going to sue them for every penny they have!"
"You wouldn't!"
"I wouldn't? Just try me! I'll take the publisher and the writer to court, both of them! I won't even have to pay for it: I'll add all the court costs to the settlement and make them pay for everything! What do you think of that, huh?"
"Please... don't..."
"There'll never be another Daring Do novel as long as you live, and I'm going to retire! I'll take the money, buy a nice little cottage, and never be an archeologist again! No more essays or reports... I'll just spend all my days golfing, and being completely useless! What do you think of that, eh?"
Rainbow Dash opened one eye and stared at her, blearily. "Don't quit... you love your job..."
Derring stared back at her.
"Please... I know you do... even if you don't..."
Derring-Do swallowed, hard. She took the hardtack and a canteen out of her saddlebags, then undid the straps and let the bags fall to the ground.
"No!" Rainbow Dash whimpered. "Your last journal... it's all you have left!"
Derring-Do walked on, ignoring her voice.
 
 
 
Two hours passed.
Derring-Do dragged herself along the ground one hoof at a time. Rainbow Dash was still slung across her back, now unconscious from fever. Derring was starting to feel a fever of her own, and her throat burned like sandpaper. The already gloomy sunlight was fading quickly.
Derring reached a hoof out and dragged herself a few more inches up a muddy incline, but lost her grip and slid all the way back down. Dash rolled a short distance to the side, and Derring landed on her back. She stared up at the canopy far above, her vision growing hazy. 
Go on then, Celestia... come and get me, you spoiled, stuck-up aristocrat. I dare you to.
The sky grew dark above her, but there was no real sense of time passing. She closed her eyes.
...Figures.
She heard a faint rustle nearby. She opened her eyes and saw a circle of figures peering down at her. Their bodies were too thick and shaggy to make out, and they were all wearing huge golden masks... or were they masks at all? The figures floated over her, utterly silent. Their heads tilted slightly.
Derring's voice was raspy and weak. "You're not Celestia..." she whispered.
The figures descended upon her all at once, blotting out the sky and brushing against her skin softly. A wave of hot, wet steam wafted over her face and poured into her mouth and nostrils, carrying with it the scent of dark, rich, unsweetened cocoa.